


Little did I Know

by rainbow_nerds



Series: So many Somethings [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate POV, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Idiots in Love, Just so clueless, M/M, figuring it out, this is a sequel, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23550658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbow_nerds/pseuds/rainbow_nerds
Summary: Bucky had a crush on his pen-pal, which would have been fine, really. His main problem was his irritatingly attractive, jerkface of a neighbor.OR: Bucky's POV for my other fic 'I Couldn't Know Him Better (If I Knew His Name)'This will probably make more sense if you have read the first part, but it can probably be read alone too!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: So many Somethings [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694971
Comments: 22
Kudos: 158





	Little did I Know

**Author's Note:**

> So I expected this to take a lot longer, but I ended up writing it all in one afternoon, so I just decided to post it as is!  
> Enjoy ~  
> (The title for this fic is also taken from "I don't know his name" from the musical She Loves Me, which partly inspired this whole series)

Bucky woke up to a familiar persistent knock on the door, and he groaned as he rolled out of bed. Or more accurately, rolled off the mattress which was currently serving as a bed. He had decided to move in before the majority of his belongings arrived, looking forward to finally regaining a hint of independence.

Okay, so maybe he also needed to do something to distract himself from the fact that Steve hadn’t responded to his email yet. It had been a long shot, he knew. He didn’t check his old email address anymore, had even needed to recruit help in order to hack in, as he couldn’t remember the password and the security questions were weirdly specific. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend what his teenage self would have set as the answer to “What is green?”

He opened the door to Nat, knowing she wouldn’t let him off, and saw her carrying a box she had already carried up.

“Clint’s in the van downstairs. I’ll carry the boxes up, you put stuff away. Let's get going!” Bucky knew he should have expected this when he asked for help moving in, but he was still unhappy about it. He tried to protest, but the only words he could force out were

“But… Coffee?” Nat rolled her eyes and started making her way back downstairs. 

“Coffee after. Put those boxes away, James!” He kept up a steady stream of complaints and curses as she continued to come up and down the stairs with boxes, until they were all piled around the door and Bucky finally got a chance to turn on the coffee machine.

He came back out, remembering to add on a few repeated complaints about the time, to be faced with who must have been his neighbor. Nat introduced him as James, so he went along with it. He was in no mood to start explaining his nickname at this time of the morning, and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be spending much time with this Steve. The name almost tripped him up, reminding him of his email.

If it hadn’t been for the sheer bulk of this guy, he might have entertained thoughts of him being  _ his  _ Steve. But his Steve had always been on the skinny side, had been self-conscious about it. At least, that’s what he had written in his emails and letters.

Finally, they got the boxes mostly unpacked, and Nat left after bringing him some coffee and pastries from the place they had noticed around the corner. Bucky flopped down on the sofa, draining the coffee eagerly. He decided to check his email, with some trepidation. There was a reply. He almost choked on the coffee, but recovered and managed to read it through several times, before finally deciding on what to say.

Steve still wanted to be his friend.

Steve wanted to get back in touch.

This was the best day  _ ever. _

***

Being back in touch with Steve,  _ texting _ with Steve, was the best. He was understanding about Bucky’s fucked up head, about how he was generally no fun to talk to on therapy days, and even though Bucky hadn’t told him any details, he never felt pressured to share more than he was comfortable with.

And if he felt that old crush rekindling little by little with every message he received, well it could have been worse.

They bonded over shitty neighbors, which was a relief. 

Bucky had taken to calling neighbor Steve by a variety of crude nicknames, because neighbor Steve became a bit of a mouthful.

His current favorite was “Jerkface”. Not the most original, sure, but hey, he appreciated the classics.

Jerkface had confronted him for leaving his trash outside his door, as if he couldn’t see the lack of a second arm. Jerkface seemed to dislike Bucky as much as he disliked Jerkface, so at least the feeling was mutual, and Bucky didn’t have any problem with egging Steve on in his rivalry with his own Jerkface.

Steve was great. Steve even related to the fact that his Jerkface was stupidly attractive! Though he didn’t quite like the idea of Steve being attracted to someone else, at least it was a Jerkface, so it was very unlikely he would ever make a move on him.

God, Jerkface was the  _ worst. _

Steve was stressed about a job interview, and Bucky was touched that he was who he turned to to vent. But it was concerning that Steve seemed to be on his own and about five minutes from a panic attack. Bucky didn’t think about it, just sent the offer to go over. If he had thought about it for even a second, he would have chickened out. Not only was he, frankly, terrified of Steve seeing him and thinking differently about him - he hated the pitying looks people tended to give him whenever they saw his empty sleeve. He hated the pity, the simpering “Thank you for your service” that inevitably followed - but also, he was pretty sure that a hasty visit about a job prospect wasn’t how he had imagined their first meeting.

Maybe he was a romantic, but he had pictured flowers, and careful planning, and meeting eyes across a crowded room, and…

Well.

His crush had definitely developed into something more

***

“So, Nat, I think I just made out with Jerkface in the laundry room and I’m freaking out.”

“Okay, I’m going to need at least five percent more context there, James”

So Bucky told her the story from the beginning.

“You had just left my apartment, with the trash bag and I decided to get some laundry done. I went down, but Jerkface was in there, doing what looked like about twelve separate loads, and -.”

“Seriously, James, call him literally anything else, I beg you.”

“Fine, so  _ Rogers _ was there. I tried to ignore him, almost forgot he was there actually. I realized I had a stain on my shirt, so I pulled it off and threw it in the machine, and then the dude just  _ stared. _ He literally stormed out of the room like he was disgusted, I swear to god. Then Stevie texted me.”

Nat rolled her eyes at the way he went slightly misty at the mention of Steve but he just carried on with his tale.

“We chatted for a bit and then. Well, he asked to meet me. I was feeling shitty though, because of Jer-  _ Rogers _ \- so I said I wan’t ready. Then He comes down the stairs again, looking about as devastated as I felt, and. Well.”

“You decided to shove him against a machine and make out with him instead of dealing with your feelings for Steve”

“Well, yeah. Except it was more like he picked me up and -”

“I do not need to hear the details, thanks” She grimaced. He decided that meant that he didn’t need to tell her how they had ended up crying and bonding over unrequited crushes on people out of their league, but he did decide to stop calling him Jerkface. Steve was still too much, but Rogers he could handle. 

He felt a little better about it after talking to Nat, though she seemed to be holding something back from him. He figured she’d tell him when she felt he was ready. Getting information out of Nat when she didn’t want to share it was like getting honey from a rock. 

He had texted Steve, and they were back in a good place. Maybe he should try being nicer to Rogers. He seemed to be going through some shit, too.

***

Steve went to his bakery.

Which meant Steve lived nearby.

Bucky couldn’t help but look out for Steve every time he left the apartment, not sure what to look for other than a vague impression of blond hair and blue eyes. The only familiar features he ever glimpsed were Rogers and his friends, however.

As much as he wanted to believe he would recognize Steve immediately, he was hyper aware that he could be literally anyone. Bucky didn’t know how or if he had changed since they had spoken in high school, and he hadn’t exactly known what he looked like then either.

***

Nat had made friends with Rogers’ friend, who turned out to be called Sam. HE let himself be roped into going out with them for drinks, and it was surprisingly pleasant. He kept glancing around surreptitiously in the bar, though, since Steve had mentioned he was also out with friends.

He had caught Rogers’ eyes on him more than once too, and felt himself flush. 

Hey, just because he knew it would never work out between them - too much baggage - that didn’t mean he couldn’t be flattered by the fact the guy was clearly attracted to him.

Still, that didn’t stop him from drunk texting Steve under the table. He was adorable drunk, and that was definitely flirting, right? Sure, drunk flirting didn’t really count, but still. Bucky would take it.

They hung off each other on the walk home, laughing and joking about what Nat and Sam could be hiding from them. Bucky suggested that they were secretly dating, but Rogers pointed out that Sam was practically married, and Bucky conceded that he was pretty sure Nat had a thing for Clint, anyway.

The last text from Steve came through after he was home, and Bucky was stopped short. 

Sure, it was a drunk text, but Bucky couldn’t help but hope that the poorly spelled message was genuine.

**Lov u**

The words fluttered around in his head as he drifted off, and he was surprisingly not hungover the next morning. The words continued to reverberate though, and his sober brain quickly worked to quell the notion.

Steve couldn’t be in love with him.

He just couldn’t.

But what if…? He needed coffee for this.

***

He had a good chat with Rogers at the coffee shop. Bucky was surprised by how well they actually got along, and how much they had in common. 

He wasn’t sure why he asked. It had been on his mind sure. He knew his arm, his trauma both physical and mental, was the only thing really holding him back from meeting Steve, and he decided to throw caution to the wind.

“This might be a weird question.” He hedged a little to start with, not wanting to dive right in.

“Go for it.”

“You’ve seen me without my shirt on.” Rogers’ eyes bugged, which was fair. He probably could have phrased that better.

“Not a question, but yeah. I have.”

“Well, it’s just, that time in the laundry room, you still, well...“ He trailed off, not sure where to go without coming across as crude, or needy, but thankfully Rogers seemed to catch on.

“Hey, James. Stop. You are fucking stunning.I swear, he’d have to be a fucking idiot not to wanna tap that.” Bucky felt himself flush scarlet at that, but there was still something niggling at him.

“You didn’t.”

“I never claimed not to be a fucking idiot.” Rogers’ frank response broke the tension, and Bucky laughed. Rogers carried on reassuring him until Bucky felt more settled, and they toasted to being idiots. 

Bucky went home with a spring in his step, and reflected on what Rogers had said. He was right, of course. He was going to ask to meet Steve. Just as he thought it, his phone rang, and he jumped when he saw Steve’s name pop up. The conversation was quick, Steve just gushed about getting the job he had wanted at Stark industries, and Bucky barely processed what had happened when it was over.

But hearing Steve’s voice only made him more sure. He took out his phone and opened his email, starting to type. He hardly read over it, just sent it. He explained, in general terms, what had happened to him, and why he had been hesitant to meet. He put himself out there.

Now he just had to wait.

He was so full of nervous energy, that he decided he needed to get out of the house. He was so out of it, he barely registered Rogers coming in the door in front of him until he was wrapped in a hug. 

That was new. 

Then Rogers mentioned a new job.

A job at Stark industries.

And suddenly everything started to come together.

He really was an idiot, wasn’t he?

Steve was Rogers. Rogers was Steve. Steve Rogers.

Shit.

Bucky stood in the foyer for a long time, until he regained the use of his legs. Suddenly, going outside didn’t seem like a great idea. He went back up to his apartment and collapsed on his sofa.

He didn’t notice time passing, but then before he knew it, it was dark and his phone started to buzz. He watched as the messages from Steve came through. His heart clenched.

Steve didn’t know.

Would Steve be happy to find out? Sure, he knew Steve was attracted to him now, at least, but.

They hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot, and technically Rogers - Steve - Had already rejected him. Bucky’s heart sank, and he locked his phone, not wanting to see the messages Steve was sending.

He must have fallen asleep at some point, because he woke up to the sound of voices in the hallway.

Steve sounded happy, he thought, as he made his way to the door to listen. God, he was such a creep. He switched his phone back on and texted Nat, suddenly realizing what she must have been holding back from him all these weeks.

She arrived looking smug, letting herself in with the key he had given her when he had moved in.

“So I take it you figured it out?” Bucky just shrugged, but she raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting more.

“He got a job. Told me all about it. Twice.” Nat winced, which surprised Bucky. He had expected her to be more insufferable about this.

“I probably should have said something but we figured-”

“We?”

“Sam and I” She clarified.

“Of course.” Bucky huffed out a laugh, unsurprised.

“-We figured we should try not to interfere. Though we did not expect it to take this long. Honestly, James. Him I understand, he knows you by a different name, but-”

“Please, don’t.” And to his surprise, she actually stopped. They spent the day vegetating, eating ice cream and ordering pizza. When she finally got up to leave, she asked him what he was going to do.

“I don’t know. I think I just need time to process.”

“Alright, just don’t take too long. He deserves to know too.” Bucky nodded, agreeing with her.

He had some thinking to do, and some planning.

He spent his days thinking, trying to assimilate his idea of Steve, with his neighbor.

He looked back through their text exchanges and cringed. It was so obvious now he knew.

Steve being irritated by his neighbor the same time Bucky had been complaining about his? The day Steve had come over to fix his sink, and his shirt had gotten soaked through.

Jesus Christ, he had thirst-texted Steve _about_ Steve. He cringed so hard he had to lock his phone and bury his head in his hands.

Nat came by most days, bringing food, taking out his trash, and just being there for him, which he was eternally grateful for.

***

Finally, he came to the conclusion that he had been moping and overthinking for too long.

Steve was Steve. He would understand, surely. They had been getting along well lately, as neighbors and as friends, so it was really a best case scenario.

So he sent the text. He reached out, and he didn’t burst into flames. Steve agreed to meet, and Bucky felt a flutter in his chest.

Bucky smiled when he heard Sam show up at Steve’s apartment. He was relieved to hear that Steve was a little nervous too, and when he overheard the panicked question of whether it was a date, he couldn’t help but to clarify.

_ It’s a date. _

He hoped the text didn’t sound weird, devoid of context as it would have been for Steve, but he’d understand soon enough.

***

Bucky waited in the coffee shop, rose in front of him. Sure, it was cheesy, but hey, this was the big moment. He deserved to give into his romantic nature, at least a little.

He saw the moment Steve noticed him, and glanced away, before doing a double take when he saw the rose.

“Hi Stevie.” He spoke softly, not wanting to startle him.

“I’m an idiot aren’t I?” Bucky laughed at Steve’s reaction, but it was perfect.

This was perfect.


End file.
